Biomedical subjects

Michael G Waldvogel

Publications and source records attributed to Michael G Waldvogel.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Trap-mulching Argentine ants.

Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), management is constrained, in large part, by polydomy where nestmates are distributed extensively across urban landscapes, particularly within mulch. Management with trap-mulching is a novel approach derived from trap-cropping where ants are repelled from a broad domain of nest sites to smaller defined areas, which are subsequently treated with insecticide. This concept was field-tested with mulch surrounding ornamental trees replaced with a narrow band of pine (Pinus spp.) needle mulch (trap) within a much larger patch of repellent aromatic cedar (Juniperus spp.) mulch. After ants reestablished around the trees, the pine needle mulch band was treated with 0.06% fipronil (Termidor). Poor results were obtained when the trap extended from the tree trunk to the edge of the mulched area. When the trap was applied as a circular band around the tree trunk reductions in the number of foraging ants were recorded through 14 d compared with an untreated mulch control, but not for longer periods. Reductions in the number of ant nests within mulch were no different between the trap mulch and any of the other treatments. We conclude that trap-mulching offers limited benefits, and that successful management of Argentine ants will require implementation of complementary or perhaps alternative strategies.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Comparison of conventional and integrated pest management programs in public schools.

This study compared an integrated pest management (IPM) program with conventional, calendar-based pest control in nine North Carolina elementary schools. Both programs primarily targeted the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). The IPM program relied heavily on monitoring and baiting, whereas the conventional approach used baseboard and crack-and-crevice sprays of insecticides. Within the constraints of an existing pest management contract, we quantified service duration, materials used, cost, levels of cockroach infestation, and the pesticide residues generated by the two service types. IPM services were significantly more time-consuming than conventional services, resulting in a significantly higher cost associated with labor. Nevertheless, the two types of treatments incurred similar total costs, and the efficacy of both treatments was also similar. Most importantly, pest monitoring, a central element of the IPM program, revealed few cockroaches and indicated that most of the conventional treatments were unnecessary. Environmental residues of the organophosphate pesticides acephate, chlorpyrifos, and propetamphos were significantly higher in swab samples taken in the conventionally treated schools. This study demonstrates that an IPM program is an appropriate and preferable alternative to conventional methods of pest control in the school environment.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Boric acid dust as a component of an integrated cockroach management program in confined swine production.

Boric acid dust treatments were evaluated as a tool for the integrated management of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), in commercial confined swine production. The efficacy of boric acid dust was comparable to that of an organic residual insecticide, cyfluthrin, which is commonly used to control cockroaches in this environment. Fall treatments suppressed the cockroach population for longer durations than treatments in the Spring. Boric acid dust is an effective, inexpensive, and low risk (to animal and human health, and the environment) alternative for the management of cockroaches in livestock production systems.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Origin and extent of resistance to fipronil in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae).

Fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, was made available in 1999 in bait formulations for use against the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). We have investigated resistance to fipronil in the descendants of cockroaches collected just before, or contemporaneously with, the introduction of fipronil baits. Cockroaches were obtained in two types of settings: homes that either had or had not been serviced by a pest management professional while occupied by their current residents. Thorough inspections by us turned up no evidence that fipronil had been used in any of the homes, and in addition, no residents claimed to have used baits containing fipronil. Resistance to fipronil was detected by topically dosing adult males with the LC99 of fipronil, the value of which was determined in a dose-response assay with males of an insecticide-susceptible strain. Fewer than 99 of 100 males of all field-collected strains died within 72 h of being treated. Moreover, substantial numbers of males survived doses three and 10-fold greater than the LC99. Regression analysis showed that 67% of the variation in the percentage of males that died after being treated with fipronil was explained by a linear relationship with the percentage that died after being treated with dieldrin. Therefore, it appears that resistance to fipronil in German cockroaches--whose ancestors had never been exposed to it--is attributable to enduring resistance to the cyclodienes, which were formerly used for cockroach control and have a similar mode of action as fipronil. Lastly, we found that insects resistant to topically administered fipronil were likewise resistant, and to a similar degree, to ingested fipronil.

Animals↗